June 2007

As a medical social worker, Cassandra L. Aspinall, MSW, discusses face-altering procedures with children and their parents to make sure their expectations are realistic.“It’s fine if someone thinks,‘I will be more positive about myself if my nose looks better,’” says Aspinall.“But there’s nothing worse than a child thinking an operation is all that’s needed to improve the chances of having a boyfriend or girlfriend or to be accepted by the popular kids for the first time.”